Predication and Equation in Copular Sentences.

Ljudmila Geist

Abstract:

The paper explores the mapping between the syntax and semantics of copular sentences in
Russian in comparison to English. It argues for a single underlying semantics of the copula in predicational,
equative and specificational sentences in both languages. The paper derives the invariant semantics
for the three types of copular sentence and explores how this invariant semantics is mapped to the
syntactic structure in the two languages. Predicational sentences are assumed to be the basic type of
copular sentence. The difference in interpretation between predicational, equative and specificational
copular sentences is explained with the help of the ident type-shift, which enters the semantic composition
of equative and specificational sentences at different places.